618 Baobab Boulevard
by George J. Valtom
Summary: There's been a string of financial fraud in Zootopia, putting dozens of families into terrible debt. Officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps may just be on the verge of pinning down the mastermind though.
_I'm planning on publishing several one-shots on here soon, some that I've kept on Tumblr and some other new ones. Stay tuned for those!_

 _Thanks to nick-wilde-fox-detective on Tumblr for beta reading this for me._

* * *

Judy pounded her fist on the door of the townhouse and stepped back. Nick stood just behind her; both wore their sharp blue uniforms. Several moments went by without a response.

"He's not here," Nick shook his head. "I gotta bust the door down, stand back."

"No!" Judy raised her hand to stop him. "You can't just go breaking down doors!"

"Then what's the point of being a cop?"

She rolled her eyes and rang the doorbell. "Try to be patient, and professional."

"Alright, alright." They both stared at the green wood in front of them, and the brass numerals 618 hanging below the door viewer. Judy was about to knock again when it finally swung open to reveal a large beaver. He froze, looking from one to the other.

"Can I help you officers?"

"Mr. Castor?" Judy reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded paper.

"Yes?"

"I'm Officer Hopps, and this is Officer Wilde." They both displayed their badges. "We were wondering if we could come inside?"

Castor stood in the doorway, blocking them with his arm. "Look, I'm actually busy right now. I run real estate, and I had to put a very important client on hold. So, good day."

He tried to close the door, but Nick darted forward and stopped him. "You know, we actually already knew that you're a big shot. That's why we're here. So if you could just let us in…"

"You're not coming in here without a warrant," the beaver snapped. With a great shove he forced the door closed. Nick looked at Judy.

"Now can I break it down?"

"No!" She knocked again, and kept knocking incessantly until Castor opened up again.

"Listen, if you don't stop harassing me I'm gonna call the news. You don't have a warrant, so get off my property."

"Oh, don't we?" Judy opened the paper in her paws. She could see the beaver's eyes flicker. "Permission to search 618 Baobab Boulevard, Savanna Central, in connection to the recent string of loan frauds. Now," she smiled, "let us in."

Castor exhaled through his nose, clearly annoyed. But at last, he let the two of them enter.

They entered into a hallway, with doors opening to either side. In the hallway was a staircase; a rich sepia runner climbed up the steps, and a red patterned wallpaper gave the whole space a close and intense feeling.

The trio stepped into the room on the left. Windows opened to the outside, and the covers let through a muffled white lighting. In front of the windows was a large flatscreen television, propped up on an entertainment center. Across from it were arranged a leather sofa and two matching chairs, and between them all was a glass coffee table with a set of coasters all emblazoned with the monogram "C". On either side of the couch was a large black bookcase set against the wall. It was immediately clear that everything in the room had been either imported or custom-made.

"Hey, nice place," Nick nodded at the upscale furnishings. "Must have cost a fortune."

"What are you insinuating?"

"Who, me? I'm not insinuating anything." The fox laughed inside to himself as he walked around, his paws behind his back. Just the way this beaver was acting...Nick could read him like an open book. Not only was he guilty, but there was surefire condemning evidence in here somewhere.

Castor tossed his paws into the air with a huff. "You know what? Fine, I'll cooperate. The sooner you get done, the sooner I can get back to work. Come on," and he motioned them out of the room.

From there he led them through the kitchen, his library, his bedroom and the spare, and the restroom. Nick and Judy opened every drawer, searched every folder, checked every painting for wall safes. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"There," Castor brought them through the dining room, which connected back to the front hall. "That's everything in my home. Now, if I may get back to work—"

"Actually," Nick pulled out his notepad and pen, "I did want to ask you a few questions, just before we went?"

Castor sighed again. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"FIrst of all, what do you know about the loan fraud?"

"That it's been happening, everyone's heard about it on the news."

Nick jotted down the response. In his peripheral he could see Judy beginning to wander.

"Is anyone you know involved in the fraud operation?"

"I won't answer that question."

"Sure." Nick shook his head as he wrote it down. "You know, this is easier and a lot more friendly if you actually work with us?"

"I said I refuse to answer that question. You cannot compel me."

I know I 'cannot compel you'. I'm just saying." Nick knocked his pen against his lips for a moment, figuring out how to phrase his next question. "One more thing; you say that you're self-employed, correct? It's on your tax record?"

"That's right."

"Where do you work?"

"Out of my home. Why do you think I'm here in the middle of the day?"

"Alright, then riddle me this: where in your home do you work? In the whole tour you gave us… I didn't see an office anywhere."

For once, the beaver didn't have an answer, and Nick felt a grin curl across his own face.

"There's the million dollar question. If it's not in plain sight, then that must mean—"

"Hey guys," Judy called from the television room. "I found something pretty interesting in here..."

When Nick and Castor came in, one of the bookshelves had swung open, opening into a room with a computer desk covered in papers. In fact, the entire townhouse was connected to the one beside it as an annex.

"Huh," Judy put on faux surprise as she looked at the desk. "Look at the names on these. An awful lot of these people have either been arrested or been cheated out of their money…"

"Now isn't that the darnedest thing?" Nick quipped. Looking around, he saw another desk in the corner. "Hold on, is that…?" He came over to it. "Will you look at this…"

The machine held a card printer, and by it were a stack of identifications, all with different animals. Nick recognized a few faces from his days on the streets...but he didn't recognize the names that had been paired with those faces.

"Hey Judy," he held up one card. "Does this 'Alan' guy look familiar to you?"

He watched as Judy came over and squinted. "Duke Weaselton!"

"Printing fake IDs," Nick shook his head. "Now that's just despicable."

"Keep an eye on him," Judy pointed at the beaver standing uneasily at the entrance. "I'm going to look around."

"You got it," Nick saluted her. "I'm gonna start recording this stuff." He pulled a camera from his pants pocket and began to photograph the machine, the cards, then the papers on the first desk. "Anything you have to say about this?"

Castor said nothing.

"Oh boy," Judy called from upstairs. "Look what I just found!"

Nick looked up to see his partner carrying a large bag.

"Feels like ten pounds?" She judged the weight in her paw. "Yep, about ten pounds, catnip. And I haven't even opened the other rooms yet."

Castor didn't react, even as Nick came over and laid a paw on his shoulder. "Hey buddy...ever had a ride in a police car before?"

* * *

When the case was finally submitted to court, Castor's charges included forgery, trafficking controlled substances, and fraud; altogether, he faced millions of dollars in fines and up to a lifetime in prison. District Attorney Bags had never been more excited for a case in her life, and as the proceedings began it seemed like it would be open and shut.

Judy sat beside Nick in the public section, watching Bags argue the case. The tiger walked back and forth below the judge. Castor had waived his right to a jury, meaning it was up to Judge Calvin, the brown horse sitting on his podium, to resolve the case

"—and as can be seen from the evidence, not only were the activities taking place with the defendant's explicit knowledge and consent, but he himself had a hand in running the operations. Therefore, I implore your honor to do justice by finding the defendant guilty on each count."

Bags returned to her stand and sat down. Judge Calvin wrote something before speaking: "Has the defense any arguments to present?"

"Yes your honor," Castor's lawyer, a wolf with white fur and a clashing black suit, stood up. "I would like to call as our primary witness Officer Judy Hopps."

Judy felt a jolt in her stomach. She hadn't been expecting to be called up...what was going on? She glanced at Nick, who shrugged in confusion. With a deep breath she stood and padded her way into the witness chair.

"Officer Hopps," the lawyer pulled a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "Can you tell me what this is?"

She barely needed to glance at it. "That's the search warrant that authorized us to search Mr. Castor's house."

"Yes indeed, thank you. Now, more specifically though, what place did it authorize you to search."

"...Mr. Castor's house? 618 Baobab Boulevard?"

"That's right, this warrant authorized you to search the property located at 618 Baobab Boulevard. However, you did not simply stay in 618 Baobab Boulevard."

"...what?"

"My client's home includes an annex, which he purchased about three years ago. He constructed a door to connect his home to this annex, but never fully merged them. As a result, it is still its own unique address, at 620 Baobab Boulevard, which you did NOT have a warrant to search."

Judy's heart began to sink as she realized where this was going. She could see Nick half out of his seat, his expression a mix of disbelief and anger.

"As a result," the lawyer concluded, "this was in fact an illegal search, which means that all of the evidence gathered cannot be considered by the court. Given that this includes virtually all of the prosecutor's argument, I maintain that there is not enough evidence to find my client guilty of any of the charges, and move to have the case dismissed. Officer Hopps," the wolf gestured back to the public seating area, "thank you for your testimony."

Judy walked back to her seat, her fists clenched. Shame scampered up and down her spine. She sat down by Nick, not looking him in the eye. All of the evidence, useless! How could she have been so careless? Now Castor was going to get away scot-free…

"Does the prosecution have any rebutting remarks?" Judge Calvin asked. Judy could hear Bags' chair scoot out.

"I'd like to request a brief recess, your Honor."

"If I may," Castor's lawyer interrupted, "if the prosecution is merely taking this chance to try to form a new argument, may I simply ask that they not waste everyone's time?"

"Your Honor," Bags repeated, "I would still like to request a recess."

The horse considered it for a moment. "Fifteen minutes." He banged the gavel on the stand, then got up. The court began to break into activity.

"I can't believe it!" Nick was just barely restraining himself from yelling. "They're getting him out on a technicality! This is ridiculous!"

"How was I supposed to know that it was a different address?" Judy swore to herself. "The two houses were connected!"

"I know, right?" He was quiet. "Hey, Carrots?"

"Yeah?"

"Look at me?"

Judy looked into his eyes; he was staring knowingly at her. "This isn't your fault."

"Why do you say that?"

"When your ears are down, your spirits are down." Nick playfully poked her ears, which hung low behind her back. "Listen, we were in there together. We both screwed up."

Judy nodded and tried to force a weak smile. She dropped her eyes again.

"Besides, keep this in perspective. Not like anyone's died or anything."

"Yeah, but Castor's gonna go free." She gently knocked her knuckles against her forehead. "There has to be something we can do…" Judy looked up at Bags pacing around her table, desperately trying to come up with a solution herself.

"We just saw the evidence and got overexcited, moved too fast. Next time, Carrots."

"Yeah, next—" Judy paused. "Wait...Nick, that's it! You got it! Okay, listen:" She began whispering in his ear.

* * *

"The court is back in session." Calvin banged his gavel once again. "Prosecution, are you now prepared with your rebuttal?"

"Yes we are. We would like to call to the witness stand, Officer Judy Hopps."

This time Judy felt prepared. She strode up to the front more confidently now, and looked back to see Nick flash her a thumbs-up and a wink. Bags began to pace in front of her, ready to go through the script that the two of them had come up with. Judy couldn't help but smile as the tiger drew a deep breath.

"Hopps, it has been asserted that you had no right to search 620 Baobab Boulevard. However, you had a warrant to search 618, that is correct?"

"Yes, that's right." She saw Castor and his lawyer exchange an amused smirk.

"Now, within this house that you DID have the right to search, what did you end up finding?"

"Well, I had come into the television room, and I noticed the carpet in front of one of the bookshelves. It had been worn back and forth, which made me suspicious. Upon inspecting the bookshelf, I found the secret entrance."

"And you found this bookshelf in the sitting room of 618 Baobab Boulevard?"

"Yes."

"So you had every right to discover this secret entrance. Good, good."

"Objection, your Honor," Castor's lawyer raised his paw. "Simply finding the entrance to a residence does not give law enforcement the right to search it. Just because I can find the front door for my neighbor's home doesn't mean I can waltz in."

"Please," the judge motioned, "let the district attorney speak."

"Thank you," Bags spared a second to throw a sharp glance at the lawyer. "Now, upon opening the bookshelf, was there a door behind it?"

"No, it actually opened straight into the townhouse next door. And from my view in 618, I could see the desk covered in papers, the papers being used as evidence."

"And what gave you the right to confiscate said evidence?"

"The principle of 'in plain sight'." Judy began to recite the passage from her officer's manual, "A warrant is not needed to collect evidence that is clearly visible and can be taken easily and without hassle."

"So, you do believe you had the right to take the evidence, and with a fairly logical basis, if I may venture to label it."

Judy looked at the Castor. He and his counsel were beginning to look uneasy. "Uh, objection?" The wolf raised his paw again. "While such logic may account for the documents relating to fraud, that does not extend to the evidence presented to argue that forgery and smuggling were taking place?"

"If I may finish?" Bags insisted. Judge Calvin motioned for her to continue. "Hopps, what was your reaction upon finding the documents?"

"Well, my next thought went something along the lines of 'If there is one crime happening here, there's probably more.' I had reason to believe more was going on, and so I investigated."

"So what you're saying is that finding the first pieces of evidence led you to develop probable cause? Another basis for searching property without a warrant?"

"That's right, Bags." Judy sat up nice and tall, her ears perked up high, as Bags turned to the judge.

"Your Honor, I would like to argue that the evidence we have gathered is not illegal, but in fact perfectly within the bounds of the law. I hope you will consider it in your decision."

"Thank you, Miss Bags."

He began to drum his fingers on the wood of his stand, making little clacks that sounded throughout the courtroom. Judy began to return to her seat again, her heart racing. If the judge didn't approve of their arguments, Castor walked out of here a free beaver.

"After hearing the two sides," he finally spoke, "I sympathize with the concerns raised by the defense, that this could constitute a breach of personal privacy and security by law enforcement."

Judy felt her heart skip a beat. No, no…

"However," he continued, "while their concerns are admirable, they are not be applied in this case. The officers may have stretched their legal rights, but they did not blatantly violate any restrictions on their authority, and in uncovering several rings of crime their suspicion was certainly justified. I hereby find the defendant guilty on all counts, and order a sentence of ten years in low-security prison along with mandatory restitution to all victims."

Judy felt a rush of relief and excitement as the horse picked up his gavel for the last time and gave it a final whack.

"Court adjourned."


End file.
